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Cypriot athletes join CCMC in tackling racism in sport

We’re excited to announce that tomorrow will see the start of a Media Against Racism in Sport (MARS) four-day encounter at the Cyprus Community Media Centre. Paralympian Gold Medallist Karolina Pelendritou and footballer Coskun Ulusoy are supporting the event, which starts on Wednesday 25 January and is organised in partnership with the Council of Europe (CoE) and the Community Media Forum Europe (CMFE). The aim of the programme is to promote the inclusion of the principles of non-discrimination and diversity as an ongoing angle of media coverage. Organised within the framework of the joint CoE / European Union MARS – Media Against Racism in Sport – programme, this encounter will focus on sport related issues. The issue of racism in sport has made headlines across Europe in recent months following incidents involving high-profile football players in England’s Barclays Premier League. “The cases of Luis Suarez and John Terry have highlighted the importance of understanding the nature and prevalence of racism in sport”, said Michalis Simopoulos, local coordinator of the encounter. “By encouraging professional collaboration with media actors and the exchange of media practices, CCMC hopes to enhance a diversity of perspectives and topics dealt with by the media”. The MARS Programme is a follow-up action to the 2008 – 2010 CoE “Speak out Against Discrimination” campaign. “We believe that an inclusive information environment is crucial for achieving effective social cohesion and participation in democratic life”, said Reynald Blion, MARS programme manager. “Working with media partners at the European and national levels is a strategy that we believe can influence public opinion vis-à-vis diversity and intercultural issues”. For more information on the MARS Programme, please visit: http://www.coe.int/mars.